A Celestial Dream
by Senshi of Earth
Summary: A darkness is settling over the Kingdom of Fiore, and even the magic of the world is not enough to settle the distress. It is up to a small group of mages from the guild Fairy Tale to step up and save the world. Join Serenity as she rediscovers a past to race toward a future with the help of new and old friends from Fairy Tale.


"It is time we moved on," Winter spoke up at last, the dry wind that brushed through the trees picking up her voice as it went, "We will never make it by nightfall if we continue to linger."

Ahead of her, a lone figure stood at the edge of the cliff, the sound of the ocean splashing below. Each crash seemed to call to her, the wake of the waves reaching up with a salty spray.

"There is nothing to fear in the night, Win," The girl responded with a hidden grin, her back still turned as she stared out to the sea, "Magnolia is only a short ride from Hargeon, though I am sure we could make it before dawn even if we walked at a leisurely pace."

Winter tightened her lips at the jest, but made no further attempt to hurry the girl before her. Once she made up her mind, there was no swaying her. Instead, the tall girl settled to brush her long dark locks back and study the sea.

"Some say that the souls of those who die at the sea never make from under the waves," The figure broke the silence, her voice soft and her eyes far away, "that they instead are reborn as half man, half fish…mermaids…"

"One would call that a fairy tail," Winter replied, her eyes glancing back toward her friend, "A story for children who have lost their parents to still believe they are out there watching over them, nothing more."

Finally the figure turned away from the sea, her face pale and emotionless as she moved away from the edge. The win pushed her along, picking up the long silver strands that hung loose down the girl's back. Moving to stand next to Winter, the girl was notably smaller, almost frail in stature. The silence became heavy then, thick enough to push down upon any who looked at the two. It surrounded them like a dense fog, containing their presence as Winter held her breath.

It was difficult to break the silence.

"If you wish to walk, we must hurry. Even at a quick pace it will be hours before we arrive at your grandfather's guild. Although if you ask me, I would much prefer taking a train if there is one still available."

Winter moved away then, leaving her companion at the makeshift grave that rested atop the hill. The entire location was difficult to get to, though they made a point to visit it nonetheless. Even without being requested of it, Winter knew that this was important for her friend, a chance to visit a fleeting memory of a past once forgotten. However, that did not justify a trip through the darkness in a land riddled with illegal activity.

Winter paused a few paces away, uneasily looking down toward the town they managed to land at. It had been months at sea, the trip riddled with difficult weather and dozens of stops. The company had entertained her, the unique characters that made up the merchant ship were humorous and delightful, but in the end her main focus was on her companion.

The change that occurred throughout the trip was like the darkness that settled upon the town.

"Go on without me Win, I just need a few more moments alone to say my farewell."

Her mind took a moment to settle on the words, before she let out a lazy smile, "Of course, I will go and check on how the felines are doing. Maybe I can procure a few train tickets to speed up the process." She let out a laugh, but it was only echoed by the waves. Finally, after a long moment of watching her companion, Winter turned and moved down the grassy hill.

Behind her, the setting sun caught the edge, blinding any who attempted to look up and forcing her to give up on trying to keep an eye on her friend. Soon enough night would be upon them. As she moved down the hill, her thoughts quickly drifted back to the long journey. It had been four years since she ran into the sniffling little brat of a girl, silver hair tangled and blue eyes shining with tears. Almost immediately the twelve year old had latched on her leg, though back then she could have passed for eight. Even now the girl looked years younger than sixteen, and more often than not was mistaken for a child and underestimated for her power.

And oh, what a power she had. Winter had never seen such a strong Celestial Spirit Mage, let alone any of the so-called spirits that she was able to control. Along with the two feline companions that the girl had, both of which had the strangest marks of their foreheads and the ability to walk and talk, Winter couldn't resist tagging along to see what fate had in store for them. Now, four years later, they were heading toward the most notorious guild in Earth Land without any true explanation from the girl.

All she knew was that it was finally time to go 'home'.

"She is still up there," a hard voice spoke up from the shadows before a dark black cat emerged. To her side, a mirror white cat moved into view. Both shared the same golden symbol upon their foreheads; the symbol of a crescent moon.

"Yes Luna, it takes some time to seek forgiveness for not visiting one's mother's grave…" Winter lost her softness in her voice as it turned icy, the darker part of her lashing out as she quickly fought for control, "She thinks we will walk to the guild, enjoy the moonlight of the night."

A chortle of laughter left the white cat's maw, his teeth gleaming, "Naturally the princess would seek the comfort of the wild, considering that is where she spent most of her time. However, it would be ideal for us to find a quicker means of transportation before she loses her will to return to her family…"

Winter found herself smiling slightly at the cat, "Of course Artemis, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to pull another disappearing act that will leave us searching for days…it might be best if one of you wait closer to the grave for her to finish her thoughts while the other joins me in catching the train."

The black cat seemed distracted, her eyes glancing up near the top of the hill. The sun seemed to ignite the land into flames, though that did not stop the feline from holding her gaze. Winter still found it hard to read the darker cat, let alone stand being around her. The feline had an unnerving way of stripping a person's soul apart with a single gaze, and an even easier way of tricking one into doing exactly what she wanted. It was best to just leave the feline be and stick with the more open Artemis.

"I'll keep an eye on her, and once she is satisfied with her farewell we will meet you both at the train station. Try to not cause too much trouble while you are there…we don't need any unnecessary attention this close to the guild," She flicked her tail a moment before landing on all fours and racing up the hill. Despite the fact that they seemed naturally created to walk on their hind legs, Luna made it a point to act like a normal cat whenever possible.

Winter shook her head as the cat disappeared into the glare, before moving to pick up Artemis and set him on her shoulder. He seemed quite keen to stand there and catch attention, the spaced out look on his face showing her how quickly he could get lost in his thoughts. He was no help as she bartered her way into getting two tickets, having to all but force him into her bag so they wouldn't receive an extra charge. As soon as she finished that, Luna appeared with her petite companion, both silent and thoughtful as they walked along.

"The tickets have been taken care of, and the train will be leaving on the hour. It's best if we find our seats now and get settled in," Winter quickly paused, the breeze picking up again as she shifted to look down into the town. A strange scent floated in the air, the smell of smoldering embers. It tickled her senses and nearly caused her to sneeze as she took another whiff, the scent fading away into the evening. Something was there, a smell that was almost familiar. It warmed her senses and caused her skin to craw all at the same time.

"Are you alright, Win?" All at once, the smell was gone and she found herself on the train with her companion, the whistle sounding as the locomotive began to move.

"Yeah…I just got caught up in a thought…it must be one of those days," She forced her face to shift and set, keeping her emotions in check as she kept an eye on her friends, "It might be best if you rest a bit, I'm sure you wont get much sleep tomorrow."

"You are right. I will try." The girl's voice sounded faded as she closed her eyes, just missing the flash of pain that filtered across Winter's eyes. Once she was sure that the smaller girl was asleep, Winter moved out from her seat and toward the back of the train. There, she was able to stand outside on a railing and look at the fading sight of Hargeon Town. The sun was finally down and the moon rolling high, enough to cast a soft glow onto the coastal buildings.

"Everything will be alright once we reach Fairy Tale," Her face was serious as she spoke softly under the sound of the train, her eyes set behind at the last stop before they completed their journey, "I made a promise to you four years ago, and I will make sure that at least that will come true. It's finally time for you to make it home…Serenity…"

As she let her voice fade, a sudden blast of heat hit her body from the coast, before the sound of an explosion and the sight of a large smoke cloud shot up to cover the moon and set the landscape in darkness.


End file.
